The Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, is the only one standing after the only other store in the world -- located in Australia -- announced it was closing. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? “Not a lot of documentaries actually accomplish the goal of their story.”. “It’s affected people emotionally,” Kamm said. He is pleased to know the film’s attention on Netflix may be what keeps the store open. “For us to have some small part in helping the store stay open is amazing,” Morden said. Netflix is now worth about $231 billion. “And I can learn to live with my newfound fame as long as it doesn’t mess with what we are doing every day.”. The movie focuses on the manager’s day-to-day work running the store, which became the last in the world when the Blockbuster in Perth, Australia, closed two years ago. Now, a new Netflix documentary called “The Last Blockbuster” brought even more interest in the form of visitors, mail and online orders to the unassuming location in a central Oregon strip mall 170 miles east of Portland. The two Bend filmmakers behind the documentary, Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm, had no idea if the store would stay open when they started filming in 2017. “I think it reminded people that we had this thing that was such an important part of our lives. BEND, Ore. - The Blockbuster video rental store in Bend, Oregon, soared to international fame when it became the last such franchise on Earth two years ago. In 2000, Tisher converted it into a Blockbuster franchise store. The famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is planning to visit the last Blockbuster on Earth in Bend from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. The new Netflix movie called The Last Blockbuster that began airing March 15, 2021, is generating interest in the store, which became the last Blockbuster location on Earth when a location in Perth, Australia shut its doors in 2019. When stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, shut down in 2018 — barely outlasting a Redmond, Oregon, store — Bend’s Blockbuster was the only U.S. location left. They contact Harding regularly to find out if she needs more DVDs of their movies or movie posters to sell at the store. He is pleased to know the film’s attention on Netflix may be what keeps the store open. Perhaps this will save the video rental industry yet! Central Oregon has its fair share of unique shops, but Ken Tisher owns stores that can’t be found almost anywhere else in the country: Blockbuster video rental stores. 4 movie in the United States since it appeared on Netflix March 15. It drew visitors from across the United States and as far as Taiwan and London. Blockbuster video stores have become extinct around the world, save for Bend, Oregon. (March 18) A tight budget meant no money to update the surviving store. In its heyday, Blockbuster Video had 9,000 stores around the world. Copyright 2021 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Where Is The Last Blockbuster Located? The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, which became the last in the world when the Blockbuster, Google Maps will soon guide you through indoor malls, airports and more, Murder parolee arrested in attack on Asian woman in Midtown Manhattan, Summer movie comeback: 10 things to get excited about this year, Lollapalooza 2021 official lineup revealed, Bitcoin, Ethereum values plunge as cryptocurrencies give up some recent gains, Fauci says people ‘misinterpreting’ CDC’s mask guidance, but added ‘it’s not their fault’, Burger King debuting Ch’King chicken sandwich nationwide: ‘Our greatest yet’. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File). Many watching it recall working in Blockbuster stores themselves or renting from them often in their younger years. In the backroom, staff members have been busy packaging thousands of online orders for Blockbuster T-shirts, hats and face masks, which are all made by Bend businesses. Soak up the nostalgia and take a peek inside the last remaining Blockbuster — in the world.. The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. “It’s good for the store. With the closing of a Blockbuster store in Australia, the one in Bend, Ore., will be the last to survive changes in technology and shopping that reshaped the way people watch movies at home. Author: ... in Bend, Oregon. Harding is the star of the movie, which peaked as high as the No. When stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, shut down in 2018 — barely outlasting a Redmond, Oregon, store — Bend’s Blockbuster was the only U.S. location left. This week, the last Blockbuster in Australia announced it was shutting down. The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. Since the documentary aired March 15, people from all over the world have sent flowers and called the store just to say “thank you” for staying open. “We’ll take a little crazy if it means keeping the store open.”. The video empire's leadership, however, saw Netflix as a niche market with limited potential and declined to buy it, according to the documentary and previous news reports. It’s good for the community,” said Harding, who has been stopped in the grocery store by fans who want to take her picture. The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. Blockbuster, officially Blockbuster LLC and also known as Blockbuster Video, was an American-based provider of home movie and video game rental services. It’s good for the community,” said Harding, who has been stopped in the grocery store by fans who want to take her picture. “It’s a little bit crazy, but it’s a very good thing,” store manager Sandi Harding told The Bulletin in Bend. Then, in 2019, the only other Blockbuster in Perth, Australia, shut its doors, leaving Bend as the last store. But in-store video rental stores began struggling with the rise in on-demand streaming services such as Netflix — the very streaming service now offering the Blockbuster documentary. The new Netflix movie called The Last Blockbuster that began airing March 15 is generating interest in the store, which became the last Blockbuster location on Earth when a location in Perth, Australia shut its doors in 2019. In 2019, more than 156,242 people died from so-called "deaths of despair," according to a report out Tuesday from Trust for America's Health, a health policy, research and advocacy non-profit, and Well Being Trust, a national foundation for the advancement of mental, social and spiritual health. “Not a lot of documentaries actually accomplish the goal of their story.”. “It’s a little bit crazy, but it’s a very good thing,” store manager Sandi Harding told The Bulletin in Bend. And if you’re feeling nostalgic, definitely check out these 11 things you’ll remember if you grew up in Oregon in the 1980s! In 2010, Blockbuster declared bankruptcy, and by 2014, all corporate-owned stores had shuttered. Tesla vs Bitcoin: How does the cryptocurrency use fossil fuels? Services were offered primarily at video rental shops, but later alternatives included DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater. BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Blockbuster video rental store in Bend, Oregon, soared to international fame when it became the last such franchise on Earth two years ago. The store was franchised in 2000 and became a Blockbuster. Blockbuster was forced to shut down its stores across the country due to the popularity of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. The once iconic video renting empire Blockbuster has whittled down to one last store in Bend, Oregon, after the second-to-last location outside of Perth, Australia announced it was closing on Monday. “It’s affected people emotionally,” Kamm said. New Releases. Both filmmakers feel connected with the Bend Blockbuster, even though they are done filming their movie. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File). The movie focuses on the manager’s day-to-day work running the store, which became the last in the world when the Blockbuster in Perth, Australia, closed two years ago. 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